Content deleted Content added
Which one? Darters are sulids, by the way. |
No edit summary |
||
Line 20:
'''Plotopteridae''' is the name of an [[extinct]] [[family (biology)|family]] of flightless [[seabird]]s from the order [[Suliformes]]. Related to the [[gannet]]s and [[booby|boobies]], they exhibited remarkable [[convergent evolution]] with the [[penguin]]s, particularly with the now [[extinct]] giant penguins. That they lived in the [[North Pacific]], the other side of the world from the penguins, has led to them being described at times as the Northern Hemisphere's penguins, though they were not closely related. More recent studies have shown, however, that the shoulder-girdle, forelimb and sternum of plotopterids differ significantly from those of penguins, so comparisons in terms of function may not be entirely accurate.<ref>Tatsuro et al, New Skeletal Remains of Plotopterids from Japan, SVP 2015</ref>
Their [[fossil]]s have been found in [[California]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]], [[British Columbia]] and [[Japan]]. They ranged in size from that of a large [[cormorant]] (such as a [[Brandt's cormorant]]), to being 2 m long. They had shortened wings optimised for underwater wing-propelled pursuit diving (like penguins or the now extinct [[great auk]]), and a body [[skeleton]] similar to that of the [[darter]].
[[File:Tonsala hildegardae.png|thumb|left|''Tonsala hildegardae'' fossils]]
The earliest known member of the family, ''Phocavis maritimus'' lived in the mid-[[Eocene]], but most of the known species lived in the early and mid-[[Miocene]], after which it appears they became extinct. That they became extinct at the same time as the [[Palaeeudyptinae|giant penguins]] of the Southern Hemisphere, which also coincided with the radiation of the [[Pinniped|seal]]s and [[dolphin]]s, has led to speculation that the expansion of [[marine mammal]]s was responsible for the extinction of the Plotopteridae, though this has not been formally tested.
| |||